i’d like to think that we’re a little different than the average organic orange coffee truck. Not just because we’re organic, or because we’re orange, or because we play really good tunes, or because we can usually procure a smile from someone who’s having a really crappy day and doesn’t want to crack anything else but someone’s head and/or a few beers, but because of the ingredients. And because of the love and aloha we put into our drinks, gosh darn it.

and our ingredients ARE a little better, and here’s why:

- Killer coffee beans. certified organic coffee from a local roaster, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. After cuppings around southern California and taste testing coffee from all over the country, we found the best coffee in our own backyard. Literally. It’s organic (read: pesticide free) and it’s from Bird Rock. If you can’t find me, you can find the shop, easily enough. Follow this link and find out more. Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. and tell them the big O sent you on over there. Their retail coffee bar and roastery is located on La Jolla Blvd in Bird Rock, Try some of their other beans, too. They rock. And they deliver.

- Monin Syrups. Sure, they cost a little more, but they don’t have preservatives like those other brands. We feel we’ll use all the syrups we buy rather than hoping that someone will come in and order a blueberry almond latte so we can finish off that bottle we bought two years ago. And if that sounds good to you, well, i’m sure you can get something delicious like that with a green straw in it. Monin syrups’ flavors tend to be less sweet and are truer to the flavors that they represent. And, no added preservatives, which we think is a really good thing.

- Greener products. That’s right. I’d like to think that the orange mobile is greener than those other places, even those places that use those green straws. We’re ready for recycled paper hot cups, but apparently the FDA isn’t. Yet. They’ve approved post consumer content paper for writing, paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, but not yet to hold a drink. Almost all hot cups are petroleum lined (read: oil), but we’ve switched over to new cups that are lined with PLA (read: American grown corn), despite the high prices.

-PLA Cold Cups. They look like a regular old plastic cup, but they’re way better. Yep, they also cost a little more, but we can’t see using another kind of product- and we won’t. Made from poly lactic acid (PLA), a resin derived entirely from natural corn materials. PLA is 100% renewable through annual corn harvests and fully compostable. These cups reduce landfill contamination by disposing of themselves in as little as 50 days. And the corn is grown here, harvested here, and processed into PLA here. Neat-o!

- We also make our own whipped cream, reducing waste by re-using our containers and recycling our charges instead of throwing away the non-recyclable whipped cream cans, which leave many coffee shops and go into landfills en masse. Our coconut whipped cream reduces waste and tastes freaking awesome. Or so i’ve heard.

-Remember, please bring your own cup to the orange truck. I’ll fill it up with drip coffee for a buck (that’s one dollar), and fancy drinks save 25 cents. Please, using your own reusable cup reduces waste, and we’d like to reward you for that in any way we can. in $1 or .25 increments.

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@joesonthenose